By 100 BCE, Han China was in a decline- Confucian intellectual became less creative, control of government went down, bureaucrats became corrupt, local landlords took over small regions
Daoist leaders formed the Yellow Turbans in 184 BCE and thought everything would turn around by magic- they attacked weaknesses of the emperor- protests failed
economy went down and social unrest grew
the decline caused China to not be able to fight back invading groups
Epidemics spread throughout China and politics only worsened
these factors caused about 300 years of chaos- during this time many regional rulers rose and fell, as well as dynasties
the spread of Buddhism threatened China's cultural unity
China revived around 500 CE- native rulers got rid of invaders
Sui Dynasty ruled until 618 CE and then the Tang Dynasty soon took power- tang dynasty brought good to China- gained support in Confucianism and bureaucracy again
bureaucracy decreased over time, but didn't disappear
Invading tribes adopted Chinese traditions and the Chinese were set back, but didn't have to remake their civilization
Decline in India
Control of Gupta emperors declined by 400 CE
Hun tribes were invading parts of northern India around 500 CE- but destroyed Gupta Empire within the next century
invaders formed a new ruling group of regional princes called Rajput- ruled small states and focused on military power
Buddhism declined in India- Hinduism started regaining support as Hun princes were converted from Buddhism to Hinduism
Islam began its spread after 600 CE- was Middle Eastern religion- believed in Allah (god)- reached India around 600 CE
Hindus reacted by emphasizing more on religious devotion- texts were written in the classical language causing Sanskrit to decline- this prevented Indians from leaving Hinduism
Islam affected India's international economic position
Regionalism was still the form of government
Fall of Rome
Began decline in 180 CE
political confusion made many weak leaders and conflicts of the succession of the throne
plagues traveled to Rome by international trade from southern Asia and destroyed the population
because the population fell, the economy did the same
recruiting for the army became difficult so people from Germanic tribes were hired to guard the borders of the empire
intellectuals became less creative as their ideals began to slip away
many internal problems caused the collapse of Rome because of the political decline- corruption grew in the government and the culture began to decline
imperial rule declined, economic stability worsened, farmers wanted to be protected by landlords
landlords had large estates, it provided some stability, but it weakened the power of the emperor over time and moved the economy away from successful trade
Diocletian ruled from 284 to 305 CE and tried to fix the empire- successful in getting economy back on track- pushed the worship of the emperor as god
Constantine ruled from 312 to 337 CE- set up a 2nd capital city, Constantinople, to help regulate eastern half of empire easier- tried to use Christianity to unify the empire- nothing revived the empire
because the empire was split in half, the western half became even weaker- tax revenues declined, which hurt the armies
Germanic tribes started invading in the 400s and took over completely around 476 CE
the fall split the unity of Mediterranean lands into 3 zones which eventually became 3 new empires
Byzantine Empire formed from imperial Rome
North Africa and Southern Mediterranean shores formed into an empire
Germanic kingdoms formed around Italy, France, and Spain
Spread of Christianity Christianity proved itself to be one of the most powerful religions in the world by uniting social classes, giving women some feeling of equality, all under the guidance of the Pope.
Christianity began in the Middle East and spread West
became on of the 2 largest faiths in the world
it started two centuries before Jesus Christ was born from the opposition in the Jewish priesthood; caused much reform in the coming of the Messiah
Christianity played a role in developing East and West Europe after the Classical Era
it had structure similar to the Roman Empire; the church was very important
Christianity was said to be the only "true" religion, but it was tolerant of other religions
the Pope basically led the whole religion, like a leader of an empire, but for religion; pope- "father"- gave the religion strength and independence
the collapse of the Roman Empire gave Christianity much power
Soon, Christians didn't see themselves as Reform Jews anymore- saw themselves as a new religion
Christianity united all social classes because it appealed to all people; gave women more credit, but men and womed still weren't equal
Christian's believed in the second coming of Jesus- the father, son, and Holy Ghost
Spread of Buddhism Buddhism was largely spread after the Classical Era, but didn't take over whole civilizations.
in India, it was a small religion, but soon moved outside of its borders
Buddhist monks were responsible for spreading Buddhism by taking leadership roles
Buddhists sought to reach nirvana- the point where one knows everything as has reached happiness
"The doctrine of bodhisattvas broadened the prospects of salvation for the average people by leading them in prayers and advising them on spiritual matters." - Matthew Weldai
Buddhism spread to China directly after the fall of Han China
because it spread to China, it spread to Korea and Japan from there
Mahayana- East Asian form of Buddhism had basic Buddhist beliefs but saw Buddha as a divine savior
began to organize priests, temples, creeds, and rituals
"Buddhism was not popular with Confucian leaders, Daoism, and imperial dynasties; suppressed". - Matthew Weldai
in Korea, Japan and Vietnam, Buddhism had more of an impact, compared to China
it didn't change much about the patriarchal beliefs though Buddhism stated that women were people too
Decline in India
Fall of Rome
Spread of Christianity
Christianity proved itself to be one of the most powerful religions in the world by uniting social classes, giving women some feeling of equality, all under the guidance of the Pope.
Spread of Buddhism
Buddhism was largely spread after the Classical Era, but didn't take over whole civilizations.